EP089 - Sudden Collapse_ Somatoform Conversion Disorder on Court Day

This podcast is based on clinical scenarios from the official AMC Handbook of Clinical Assessment published by the Australian Medical Council. All cases are used solely for study and discussion. We provide personal learning insights and clinical interpretations to support AMC candidates in developing their clinical reasoning skills. The AMC Handbook is the intellectual property of the Australian Medical Council. To access the official material, please visit the AMC website.

This episode outlines a simulated medical examination scenario focusing on a 30-year-old woman who suddenly collapsed on her way to court, where her husband was facing fraud charges. The patient presents with a sudden inability to walk, a symptom that previously occurred a year prior. The primary purpose of this simulated exercise is to assess a candidate's ability to perform a neurological examination of the lower limbs, while also observing the patient's behaviour for clues that might point to a psychological rather than organic cause. The case strongly suggests a somatoform conversion disorder, a condition where psychological stress, in this instance related to her husband's legal troubles, manifests as physical symptoms without an underlying medical explanation, emphasising the importance of recognising "belle indifference" (a lack of concern about one's symptoms) as a key indicator.

#AMC #OSCE #ClinicalReasoning #MedicalEducation #IMGs #AustralianMedicalCouncil #ConversionDisorder #SomatoformDisorder #PsychosomaticIllness #BelleIndifference #StressResponse #MedicalMystery #MindBodyConnection #PsychologicalHealth #UnexplainedParalysis